Westering too good for Rabie
HOSTS Westering overcame an early challenge from Andrew Rabie to run out easy 36-21 winners in their schools rugby match on Saturday.
Rabie were quick out of the blocks and stunned in-form Westering by taking an 8-0 lead through a Marco Booysens penalty and John-Lee Bantom try.
But Westering fought back to lead 19-14 at the break and then took control after half time.
They scored six tries through hooker Wesley Anderson, No 8 Siviwe Manyathi, flank Ndinovuyo Holiday, centre Baphelele Pango, replacement Sisanda Matlali and fullback Sakhile Mbewu.
Kamvi Ntebe kicked two conversions and Pango added another.
For Rabie, Booysens added another two penalties and a conversion, while prop Jandre du Preez scored their other try.
Westering were good value for their victory considering their backline was decimated through injuries and had to be reshuffled.
To make matters worse, their centre, Pango, who is normally their playmaker at flyhalf, was forced to leave the field injured in the first half after a tip-tackle.
But his stand-in at flyhalf, Kamvi Ntebe, had a good game and was Westering’s best player on the day.
Their props Reece Caires and Joshua Rensburg did admirable work driving with the ball in hand, while scrumhalf Thabang Boyce also played well.
In the Rabie team, their hooker Liyema Ngqezu was always prominent, while their right wing Enrico Fortuin also shone despite limited possession.
PAUL Roos Gymnasium gave Port Elizabeth rivals Grey High a lesson in ball control as they marched to a comprehensive 43-8 victory in their annual schools rugby derby in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Although Grey drew first blood in the second minute through a Matthew Easton penalty, the well-organised home team crossed for three tries in each half to make up for last year’s narrow defeat in Port Elizabeth.
On the front foot for much of the first half, Paul Roos’s hard running and robust forward play had Grey under constant pressure. Try as they did, there was no way for the visitors to thwart the momentum the home team built up. In addition, the Grey lineout was not functional in the first half and this presented Paul Roos with numerous opportunities to show their attacking acumen.
When they got close to the Grey line, their powerful maul had the men in blue on the back foot and this led to their first try through hooker JJ Kotze. They had a telling 22-3 lead at half time. Things improved somewhat for Grey in the second half when their lineout work was more accurate and they showed what they could do when they had possession.
It eventually led to their only try when centre Liyema Matyolweni dived over after Runaldo Pedro had taken a quick tap from a penalty five metres from the line.
However, these forays were few and far between and Paul Roos ended the match in appropriate fashion when fullback Kade Wolhuter broke through the constantly stretched Grey defence for their sixth try on full time.
Paul Roos’s other tries came from Tiaan Pretorius, Herman Heins, Regan van der Westhuizen and Gerhard Cloete.
Wolhuter kicked five conversions and a penalty. – Neale Emslie